Unexpected Arrivals
Book Review - UNEXPECTED ARRIVALS by STEPHIE WALLS
See what our review team is saying about Unexpected Arrivals
5 Spectacular Stars! Oh my heart! James and Cora's story is just everything...it's a story of young love, coming of age, mistakes, and second chances. This book captivated me, it reeled me in within minutes and I was hooked! There were many plot twists to keep me on my toes and guessing throughout the pages. My heart went through a gamut of emotions while reading before settling on joy for how their story ended. This book is like life can often times be...messy and complicated but oh so worth it in the end! And oh boy, do I love the end. I have loved every single book I've read by this author and she has never disappointed me yet, so every new title is an instant one-click for me! I'd highly recommend giving her and this book a read!
Unexpected Arrivals Is about a couple, James and Cora, and the struggles they endure in their relationship since they first met in high school. The story does span from high school, college, graduation and present time. It is told in the POV of three different people. Although the first half of the book is written from fifteen years earlier, we only get the POV of James for the first 40% and only Cora for the last 40% of the book. I would like to have been in both James and Cora’s head to know what each was thinking throughout the book. I liked the other characters Neil and Hannah, who are friends of James and Cora. The banter these four characters have is great.
A "legendary" love story between James and Cora. I have to admit that for a while I was team James and had a really hard time liking and then forgiving Cora. Without giving spoilers, the twists the plot took brought me back to team Cora. A love story that tears at your heartstrings for the good and bad.
Unexpected… ALL the way!! Wow
This book!! Gah!! Where do I start?! First, I'm new to this author, but so glad I found her!! She is definitely a favorite author now!! Her writing style keeps you intrigued and I couldn't wait til the end!! The book was a little long winded for me, but the ending made up for that ten fold!! The emotional roller coaster this book will take you on is one of the best you can ever ask for!! It reminded me a lot of Carnage by another favorite author of mine! Its a real love story for all ages and the characters all speak to your emotions in different ways. They play with your heart strings and keep sucking you in!! I can't wait to discover more from Stephie!! When you decide to read this, make sure you read The Roommate 'dis'Agreement too! You'll know why you need to when you get to the ending!! Happy reading!!
Unexpected Arrivals is my first solo read by Stephie Walls. When I read the synopsis I thought oh what is this, I have to read it. This is a mixture of a second chance romance, and an unexpected baby and a truthful relationship...this was not a disappointment. Throw in a little more family drama and it's a hit! I couldn't put it down. When we first meet James and Cora we meet them in high school and it was instant attraction on James's part. Cora is new to the small little wealthy town. She's surrounded by new people and having to deal with a heartbreaking loss. Feeling all alone, she is soon on James Carpenter's radar. James is the most popular guy, basketball captain, all around BMOC. He's bored with life and this town, When he spots the new girl he is immediately intrigued by Cora and needs to know her. Neither was expecting that their lives were about to change from Cora's arrival to Geneva Key. James and Cora have a love that can withstand anything or at least we think it can. I really liked how their relationship felt real. It wasn't an easy road for them, they had ups and downs. They both loved one another enough too let them experience life, even if that meant the other person was miserable. Both form friendships with others that turn into some choices where the consequences change their lives. But are the changes for the best or will it ruin them? Unexpected Arrivals goes from past to present. It starts with the main characters in high school, then on to college, graduation, and then present life. I like how Stephie transitioned with the timeline. It flowed naturally and I couldn't seem to get enough of these two. Cora was a character that stood out. Why? She just seemed to breathe life into so many people. She was sweet, caring, friendly and was genuinely a happy person. She put others first and seem to be very forgiving except in one aspect of her life. With that part, I understood her frustration and hurt. But I also thought there was more to the story and boy was I right. I liked the secondary characters Neil and Hannah. Both of them are great friends to James and Cora. Kinda like each of their voice of reason. Chelsea was another great addition to the story. Her story alone was heart grabbing. I adored her too. Once you read the story and everything clicks into place you'll understand why. My only two complaints throughout the book is that we get some repeating, example repeating about Neil's life with his parents and sister. I also thought it would be a little more heartbreaking with certain parts, but it wasn't. Now neither of these take away from the beauty of the story, they are just things that stood out too me. Stephie Walls thank you for a romantic love story. A story that has some humor, angst and truth. This story is about love, forgiveness and unexpected arrivals in life when you least expect it. The ending left me with some tears and a huge smile on my face. 4 Promise Stars!
This is the first book by Stephie Wallls I have read and I absolutely loved it! The twists and turns, ups and downs had me hooked. I fell in love with Cora and James who met when they were in high school. This book follows them while they grow up. The choices that they made that would effect their lives. This book had me laughing at one point, then crying at another. I couldn't put it down. I just needed to know what happens next.
Unexpected Arrivals was an unexpected emotional journey. Stephie Walls created characters for this story that as a reader you were able to emotionally invest in. This book had me from the very beginning. I came into this book with an idea that you were getting a love triangle by what i got from the teaser that I read. What i found was there is a triangle of sorts but not one that i could of foreseen. Having the first part of the book br told from James's POV was what was needed. You were able to get a sense of the type of person he was and also the love that he had for Cora. Then having the second part of the book split between Chelsea and James's POV was something that was needed so that you were able to see the way that Chelsea was seeing things. Along with the way that James was doing what he needed to do to make a life with Cora happen. The last part of the book being in Cora's POV made it so that you were able to see how she took to the changes that came to be. This is definitly a book that recommend someone that is looking for an emotional gripping read. And one that is a story about love, but also one that has a straight forward HEA, but one that makes you get more connected to the characters.
This was my first time reading a book by Stephie Walls and I liked the beginning the way it went all the way back to when they first met, it goes into great detail about the backstory. High school sweethearts James and Cora have a rocky history. Their love is instant but when they graduate from college, Cora decides that she needs time away to find herself and things go in a different direction. The characters are relateable, and some will like this read while others won't. for me it was OK, I read it but struggled. It is a different style than i'm used to but it still is worth a read. It's an emotional second chance romance with twists and turns woven into the plot.
It had to be a joke. Any minute now, a van would drive up and Ashton Kutcher would slide the door open, laughing hysterically at my melodramatic performance on the front porch. But nothing happened. The words on the page jumbled into a toxic mess my brain refused to comprehend, much less accept. Please consider this letter as a formal request to arrange a paternity test (DNA). I barely remembered Chelsea Airy. That wasn’t true—we’d gone out once, and we’d been friends for a while after. But I hadn’t heard so much as a peep from her since I’d gotten married. I’d reached out a handful of times, but she’d quit responding and fell off the face of the earth. There hadn’t been a text, an email, a phone call, not even a Facebook message, much less a stork in the last five years. My wife could forgive a lot, but she’d never wanted children—much less another woman’s.
